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Location sought for 7E7 training

Published 9:00 pm Friday, April 23, 2004

By Bryan Corliss / Herald Writer

State officials on Friday took the first concrete step toward establishing a school for training Boeing 7E7 workers when the state Department of General Administration placed an advertisement for sites for the new Employment Resource Center.

Developers have until May 14 to provide information on potential sites for the 40,000-square-foot facility, according to documents released Friday.

The center, which will be funded by the state, was a key part of Washington’s bid to convince Boeing to assemble its proposed jet here. Under the state’s agreement with Boeing, the new training center is to open by December 2005. Boeing will have exclusive use of it for five years, after which it will revert to state control.

The state will spend up to $10 million on the building and its equipment. The center will have a capacity for about 300 students at a time and be able to operate around-the-clock, according to the terms of the agreement.

State officials have been scouting potential sites for the school and working with Boeing to fine-tune plans, said Robin Pollard, the state’s coordinator for the 7E7 project.

Those with recommendations may contact the state Department of General Administration at 360-902-7373.

Friday’s notice was the first procedural step in the state’s efforts to acquire land for the school. The state will solicit offers on potential sites in May.

Friday’s announcement details the kind of facility Boeing will get:

  • It can be either an existing or new building, with 30,000 square feet of classroom and office space, 10,000 square feet of warehouse-type space with 35-foot ceilings, and adequate room for parking.

  • It must have at least four classrooms capable of holding 50 students each and one large theater-conference room capable of holding 300 people, as well as a 50-person computer lab, interview rooms and a break room.

  • The manufacturing space must have a concrete floor with enough room to accommodate airplane frames and training simulators, where instructors can demonstrate all production processes.

  • It must be within 10 minutes’ drive of Boeing’s Everett factory and within three miles of an I-5 interchange, on property that trucks can access from paved roads.

  • It should be ready by Sept. 1, 2005, with classes starting by Dec. 1, 2005.

    Reporter Bryan Corliss: 425-339-3454 or corliss@heraldnet.com.

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